Hair Dye

Abstract:

Black Walnut and Sage Hair Dye. Isabel Lavercombe. Maulika Kohli. The purpose of this lab is to experiment between two types of natural hair dyes and analyze which one is more effective after seven washes. Additionally, the results will be used to determine whether the two natural dyes can substitute commercial semi-permanent or temporary dyes. Currently, some chemical dyes contain harmful chemicals which have health related side effects on both the user and the stylist. The basic methods are boiling and filtering. Both mixtures must simmer or boil and the sage must be filtered in order to extract the pigment color. The black walnut was found to make the hair darker however both lasted after washing. The black walnut dyed darker because the pigment in the chemical juglone oxides darker than the pigment in a tannin contained in the sage. The tannin appears in a more yellow- light brown form. Whether or not the chemicals in each dye penetrated into the hair shaft acting like a permanent dye is unknown and could possibly be discovered through further studies. This information could be used by scientists or people that need to color their hair because it works just as well as a semi-permanent dye except it is all natural. Keywords: Black Walnut, Sage, Juglone, Tannin, Boiling, Filtering

Journal Citiations:
Vartan, S. (2002). Hair to Dye for. E - The Environmental Magazine, 13(4), 53. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Dyes and Cancer Risk. National Cancer Institute. 7 October 2009. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/hair-dyes.
Results:
Table 1-

	Sage	Black Walnut
Amount of substance used	60 mL (1/4 cup)	8 mL
Amount of water	473 mL (1/2 quart)	160 mL
Other information/Observations	Let simmer at temperature fluctuating from 92.5 – 101.2 degrees Celsius; dye does not look as dark as the black walnut; color stays the same after 7 washes	Let simmer at 75.0 degrees Celsius because there is alcohol in the tincture (boiling point 78.0); dark brown/medium brown after rinsed from dye; just as dark after 5 days and after 7 washes

Description- Our observations were that the walnut dye looked darker in the beaker as well as on the hair. Both stayed the same after seven washes and were both different from the original color.

Graphic of Results:

Black Walnut Before (Left) and After (Right) Washes

Audacity: